Program May Cover 95% Of Pay

December 18, 2009|By Marcia Heroux Pounds Staff writer

Florida employers can hire low-income workers with up to 95 percent covered by federal stimulus funds through a state program announced Thursday. The "Florida Back to Work" program could create jobs for as many as 25,000 Floridians, according to the state.

Public and private employers can enter into contracts with local regional workforce boards to cover up to 95 percent of salary costs for employees in the program. If a worker earns $12 an hour, for instance, the Florida Back to Work program would pay $11.40 and the business would pay sixty cents.

As an example, the state points to a call center run by the Department of Children and Families, which is employing 75 low-income individuals, many of whom were once on unemployment compensation. Public, private for-profit businesses and not-for-profit entities are eligible for the Back to Work program.

Participating employers will not be required to retain employees at the end of the nine-month subsidy period, but "will be strongly encouraged to do so," according to the state's press release.

To be eligible, job seekers must be either receiving welfare assistance, or have been tentatively approved for assistance, and have a family income at or below 200 percent of the federal poverty level and have a child under the age of 18. Many of the workers currently on unemployment compensation would qualify for the program, according to the Florida Agency for Workforce Innovation.

The initiative is available to Florida and other states through stimulus funding from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services under its temporary assistance for needy families.

Florida potentially could receive up to $200 million, with no matching state funds required, through the program.

States have to spend the money first and then be reimbursed by the program, said Robby Cunningham, spokesman for the state work force agency. He said the initial rounds of proposals will be due from regional workforce boards on Jan. 15, 2010. Initial Florida Back to Work grants will be awarded on Feb. 1, 2010.

South Florida's Back to Work job sites will be coordinated through Broward County's Workforce One and Palm Beach County's Workforce Alliance. As jobs become available, unemployed workers and others on welfare assistance should visit EmployFlorida.com for Florida Back to Work employment opportunities.

Employers that want to participate in the program should complete a project application that details the number and type of subsidized positions requested, job skill sets of the positions, the wage and benefit cost by position, and a written commitment to pay the salary amounts not reimbursed by the program.